Plans to demolish the former Old Wembley Hospital and ambulance station in Wembley and build 108 homes have been approved by Brent Council.
The redevelopment was backed by the council’s planning committee on Tuesday, 5 August, after members raised concerns about affordable housing, parking, loss of daylight and the impact on neighbouring properties.
Fairview Estates Limited submitted plans for the site, which would be replaced by residential buildings between three and six storeys high. The scheme would provide 27 one-bedroom, 54 two-bedroom and 27 three-bedroom homes.
There would be 99 flats and nine houses. However, only 11 of the homes would be classed as affordable, representing just over 10% of the total.
The developer said a viability assessment showed that the lower level of affordable housing was acceptable.
The plans were also amended to increase the number of parking spaces from 12 to 13.
A communal ping pong table has also been added to provide leisure facilities for younger residents.
The developer described the existing site as an “underutilised and oppressive” plot and said the redevelopment would bring a brownfield site back into use.
Old Wembley Hospital operated from the existing buildings between 1928 and 2000. Frontline medical and healthcare services ended when the new Wembley Centre for Health and Care opened. The site was later used for back-of-house functions before being declared redundant and surplus to requirements in 2019. It was also temporarily used to store personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The application was previously considered by the planning committee in July but the decision became complicated by the voting process.
Four members initially voted in favour and four against, with committee chair Cllr Saqib Butt using his casting vote to approve the scheme. It was subsequently discovered that Cllr Iftekhar Ahmed, who had voted in favour, had not been present for the full discussion.
Under the council’s constitution, members must be present for the entire consideration of an application to vote on it.
The application therefore had three votes in favour and four against.
However, council officers warned that refusing the scheme could be difficult to defend at appeal and could expose the authority to a significant risk of costs.
The application was deferred and brought back before the committee this week. The latest vote was again split four votes to four.
This time, Cllr Butt’s casting vote approved the application. All Labour members voted in favour, while opposition members voted against.
Cllr Harshadbhai Patel, vice chair of the committee, criticised the amount of affordable housing.
He said council policy required 50% affordable housing on developments of this type and described the proposed level as “far far far below” that target. He also raised concerns about the number of parking spaces.
Cllr Patel said the development could have a significant impact on the surrounding roads, including potential overspill parking and highway safety issues. He also pointed to the effect of the development on neighbouring homes.
According to the committee discussion, 44 properties could be affected, including 33 facing potential overlooking and 12 facing reduced sunlight or daylight.
Cllr Michael Maurice also opposed the application, saying his main concern was parking.He also raised concerns about the loss of daylight to nearby properties.
Cllr Anton Georgiou said the affordable housing provision was “significantly lower” than the council’s policy and warned that parking problems could cause “significant harm” to existing residents.
Despite the concerns, the committee approved the scheme following the chair’s casting vote.
